


Unmoving

by jaeseoksoo



Series: Sheith October Fest [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Ficlet, M/M, Mentions of Other Voltron Paladins, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2019-07-24 17:00:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16179341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaeseoksoo/pseuds/jaeseoksoo
Summary: A recon mission goes awry and Keith gets petrified. Literally.





	Unmoving

**Author's Note:**

> Day 4 of Sheith October Fest. NYCC got me shook last night and I couldn't write anything from all the s8 buzz. Will post Day 5 later today and hopefully, Day 6 tonight. This is what happens when I plan to write for a month without any sort of preparation and I make everything up as I go.

It was an error on Keith's part. He failed to calculate how far he needed to jump to avoid the blast radius of the alien gun. As he hit the wall on his left, he felt a searing pain on his ankle, the feeling creeping up on the rest of his body until his nape tingled with foreign energy. 

Keith tries to call Shiro whom he pushed to the other side of the hallway, out of the line of fire, but his voice is scratchy and weak, and it doesn’t carry over the continued fight between the paladins and the Galra. The whole affair is supposed to be an easy recon mission. Sneak in, get intel and make their exit without any incident. However, luck isn’t on their side today as they accidentally tripped on an invisible alarm wire triggering an alarm that almost shook the whole vessel from its loudness. 

Moments before Keith gets hit, he’s fighting back to back with Shiro. They’re holding their own, fending off attackers until a new wave of soldiers rushed in, separating him from Shiro. It’s gotten to the point where he is backed to a corner but Keith’s always have the advantage of being smaller, lighter, and faster. 

As the Galra soldier raises his gun, Keith sends a roundhouse kick which connects with the enemy’s face, sending him flying across the room. Currently unoccupied with any Galra, Keith tries to hone in on Shiro and manages to, just in time as Shiro knocks out an opponent with his hover arm. However, Shiro is unaware of the soldier creeping behind him, gun poised up, ready to fire. 

In a mad dash to save his partner, Keith crosses the room, jumps over the Galra advancing on him and pushes Shiro to the side, taking the hit meant for the other man. He doesn’t register Shiro’s cry as he looked down on his own leg where he felt the shot connect but he doesn’t see any tearing of armor or any open wound. It gives him a feeling of relief. 

Keith looks around and sees that the fight has dwindled down. Allura and Lance are tying up the last of the unconscious soldiers in one corner. The problem presents itself when Keith tries to stand but finds that he actually could not move any part of his body besides his eyes. He tries to speak and he’s glad to know that he can. Only his arms and legs seem to be affected by the gun.

“Keith!” Shiro shouts the second time with worry as he rushes towards Keith’s side. He tells Keith he’s been looking over his corner when he noticed that Keith isn’t moving from where he’s leaned up against the wall. In a span of seconds, Shiro’s hands are all over Keith, checking him for any injury. Worry is etched on Shiro’s face and Keith would have moved to give the man a reassuring hug except that he literally is incapable of moving his limbs. He internally winces and curses.

“Shiro, I think the gun was a petrifying gun,” Keith says. “I don’t feel any pain but I can’t move my body on my own. Can you check if you can move my arm?” Keith’s arm was currently resting on his thigh. Shiro nods and takes a hold of Keith’s arm, settling it around his shoulder instead.

“Yeah, I can move them,” Shiro confirms. “Do you hurt anywhere?

Keith shakes his head.

“Alright, so you can’t move your limbs on your own but others can. Hmm.. like you would a puppet. At least you aren’t really petrified like a statue.” Shiro chuckles, trying to lighten up the mood.

“There’s that I guess. Or, you know, I could have died if it were any normal Galra gun. Must have been a prototype. The soldier did seem unsure after he fired the gun. Looked like he was also surprised it actually worked.”

“Come on, let’s go back to the Atlas,” Shiro wraps his arm around Keith’s waist and was about to move forward when Keith stopped him in his tracks. 

“Shiro,” Keith started. He was clearly embarrassed but when pink started to dust his cheek, Shiro’s eyes widened in understanding.

“Right. Uh,” Shiro looks around and sees Pidge and Hunk interrogating the half-conscious Galra soldier, the petrifying gun being waved dangerously in Pidge’s hand. Allura and Lance took one look at Shiro and Keith before coming over to check on them.

“Keith, are you alright?” Lance asks worriedly. “Pidge said she saw you got hit and she wanted to help but she was occupied by the other attackers.” 

Keith looked over Lance’s shoulder as the other spoke. Allura stood beside Lance in silence, eyes painted with equal worry.

“I think I’ll be alright as long as this wears off. I just can’t move my arms and legs at the moment.”

“Oh,” Lance says. “Shiro can carry you back, right? It’s fine Keith, I won’t tease you about this for a week. Maybe for just a day. Or two?” Lance tries not to smirk as he starts to walk to the exit of the alien vessel. The worry lines on his friend’s face smoothed out once he knew Keith wasn’t in immediate danger.

“Hunk says the Galra told them the effect isn’t permanent. Keith will have use of his limbs again in 20 vargas or less. Will that be fine, Shiro?” asks Allura, already following Lance out.

“Of course,” replies Shiro as he gives Lance and Allura a nod. “I’ll take care of him.”

The door of the alien vessel closes and Shiro turns to Keith who looked extremely dejected from the news.

“I won’t be able to move for a day. Urgh. I should have been more careful. Now I can’t help you anymore.” 

That morning, Keith promised Shiro he’ll assist him on the Atlas but in his current state, it seems he won’t be able to do that anymore. And if there’s anything Keith hates more than having to fight aliens who try to destroy the universe, it’s breaking his promises to Shiro.

“Hey, hey. It’s fine Keith. The Atlas work can wait. It’s just routine check, no rush so I can do that tomorrow instead. You’re more important right now, alright? I’ll have to bring you back to the Atlas. I’ll pick up Black when you’re settled down inside the ship.”

Shiro seemed to have picked up on Keith’s dejection and tries to soothe him with a small peck on the corner of his jaw.

“I’ll take care of you today. Just, leave everything to me, alright? It’s just for a day. We’ll manage.”

Keith notices that Shiro says ‘we’ not ‘you’ and it makes Keith feel less bad about the whole incident.

“Okay, Shiro, I trust you. Oh, and don’t worry about Black. He’ll follow,” Keith says as he waits for Shiro to carry him in the least embarrassing way possible.

***

Keith ends up being carried bridal style by Shiro. He thanks his stars when they meet nobody on their way to Keith’s quarters, sparing him any teasing from his teammates. He’s still blushing when Shiro punches in the code to Keith’s door and deposits him gently on the bed.

Keith watches as Shiro pries his hand from where it’s looped around Shiro’s neck (which Shiro insistently put there so Keith won’t fall but Keith knew Shiro just wanted Keith hanging off him, the adorable dork) and settles it over Keith’s stomach instead. Next, Shiro moves to the end of Keith’s bed and slowly removes Keith’s shoes.

“You can leave them on me, Shiro,” Keith says, watching as Shiro unties his laces and pulls the boots off. 

“You won’t be as comfortable. I’ll leave your socks on though.” Shiro pulls off the other boot and places them neatly beside each other on the foot of Keith’s bed. Next, Shiro proceeds to remove Keith’s paladin armor. It takes a few minutes and a few apologies and grunts from either of them but they manage to get the whole thing off, leaving Keith with only his soft black shirt and his black tights. 

Satisfied, Shiro stands and bends over Keith to reach for the neatly folded blanket by Keith’s leg.

“Blanket on or off?” Shiro unfolds the blanket and shakes it in front of himself like a matador. It makes Keith laugh and this puts a smile on Shiro’s face.

“On. It gets cold here after a while. And.. Shiro on, too,” Keith says as he waggles his eyebrows at Shiro. 

“I thought you couldn’t move any part of your body besides your mouth, hmm?” Shiro effortlessly lifts Keith so he could have enough space to settle down beside Keith on the bed. He takes one end of the blanket and drapes it over himself, too.

“Apparently, my eyebrows say otherwise,” Keith replies. He wants to turn towards Shiro so he can face him properly. He voices this out to Shiro who helps him without further instruction. When he’s on his side, Shiro’s hand is cupping Keith’s cheek and Keith wants to lean to Shiro’s touch but of course, finds that he can’t. Keith has never been more frustrated in his life than now.

“Is the day over yet?” Keith asks grumpily, hands itching to touch Shiro everywhere.

Shiro laughs and bumps his forehead against Keith’s. The soft pad of Shiro’s thumb is such a welcome feeling on Keith’s cheek, he wants Shiro to never stop doing it.

“It just started, baby,” Shiro sighs against Keith’s nose. “We still have maybe half a day? Don’t worry, I won’t leave. Is there anything you want? Water? More blankets? A kiss or hug maybe?”

“I’ll take you up on that offer for a kiss,” Keith answers readily. “Hug, well, maybe later when I can hug you back. It sucks when I can’t give back, you know?”

Shiro smiles a happy smile as he gives Keith’s mouth a tiny peck before nuzzling Keith’s neck. Keith hears him sigh in contentment.

“This will be a long day but at least we get to spend it together,” Shiro says as he lodges himself snugly against Keith, head underneath Keith’s chin and hand slowly snaking across Keith’s waist. 

“That’s true,” Keith says sleepily. Shiro is warm and Keith almost forgets his predicament until his nose gets itchy and he couldn’t raise his arm to scratch it. 

Damn it.

“Uh, Shiro?” 

“Yeah?” Shiro’s voice is small when it’s muffled against Keith’s chest and Keith finds it so endearing he wants to internally weep. 

“Can you scratch my nose a bit? It’s—” Keith hasn’t even finished his statement when Shiro’s already raising his hover arm to scratch Keith’s nose. Shiro still doesn’t move from where he’s snuggled against Keith. Keith would’ve thought Shiro asleep if not for the alien arm gently scratching his nose.

“Okay, it’s fine now,” Keith chuckles, watching the hover arm fly back to Keith’s lower back. 

“Let’s sleep for now,” Keith adds when he senses Shiro’s breath evening out. Shiro gives a small grunt of approval before he plants a small kiss on Keith’s clavicle and proceeds to doze off. His little snores a few minutes later become Keith’s lullaby as he waits for sleep to claim him, too.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on twitter @sheitheist~


End file.
